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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 


Z 5834 
. T48 
W35 
2003 
Copy 1 


Telephone and City Directories 
in the 

Library of Congress 


A Finding Guide 


Research Guides 


Library of Congress □ 

Humanities and Social Sciences Division □ 


Local History and Genealogy 
Reading Room □ 











Telephone and City Directories 
in the Library of Congress: 

A Finding Guide 

By Barbara B. Walsh 

Local History and Genealogy Reading Room 


APR 3 0.2008 


The Library of Congress makes available to the public an extensive collection of current 
and non-current telephone, city, and reverse telephone (crisscross) directories for the United 
States and many foreign countries. These directories are available in a variety of formats and loca¬ 
tions. For information on a particular type of directory, consult the table of contents below and 
then refer to the appropriate page of the finding guide. For further information, please consult the 
reference librarians in the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room (LJ G42) or in the Main 
Reading Room (LJ 100). 


TABLE OF CONTENTS 
CURRENT 

Page 


U.S. Telephone Directories .3 

U.S. City Directories.3 

U.S. Reverse Telephone Directories.4 

Foreign Telephone Directories.4 

Foreign City Directories.5 

Canadian City Directories.6 

U.S. and Foreign Telephone Directories on the Internet.6 

NON-CURRENT (old) 

U.S. Telephone Directories on Microfiche.7 

U.S. Telephone Directories on Paper.7 

U.S. Telephone Directories on Microfilm.8 

U.S. Reverse Telephone Directories.8 

U.S. City Directories on Microfiche.9 

U.S. City Directories on Microfilm.9 

U.S. City Directories on Paper.9 

Foreign Telephone Directories. 10 

Foreign Telephone Directories on Microfilm. 10 

Foreign City Directories on Paper. 11 

Canadian City Directories. 12 

Foreign City Directories on Microfilm 
and Microfiche. 


13 

































































3 


Current Directories 
U.S. TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES 

Current U.S. telephone directories (white and yellow pages) are located on Deck 46, 
which is entered through Alcove 4 in the Main Reading Room. They are arranged alphabetically 
by state, shelved before the city and reverse telephone directories for that state. 

Since many of these directories contain listings for more than one community, you may 
need to consult two reference tools in order to determine which telephone book contains the 
listings for a particular community. The first tool to examine is Phonefiche’s Community Cross- 
Reference Index, found on the consulting table adjacent to the U.S. directories. It consists of 
two sections: a “Community Index” which identifies the directory in which a specific 
community’s listing can be found; and “Directory Coverage,” a list of all the communities 
covered by a specific directory. If you cannot find a listing for a community in the Cross- 
Reference Index, consult the card catalog, which is located near the directory collection. The 
labels on the catalog drawers are color coded for easy identification: blue is for the U.S. 
telephone directory catalog. 


U.S. CITY DIRECTORIES 

The latest editions of city directories are located on Deck 46, which is entered through 
Alcove 4 in the Main Reading Room. They are arranged alphabetically by state, shelved after 
the telephone directories and before the reverse telephone directories for that state. 

Since many of these directories contain listings for more than one community, you 
should examine the card catalog, which is located near the directory collection on Deck 46, to 
determine which city directory contains the listings for a particular community. The labels on 
the catalog drawers are color coded for easy identification: pink is for the city directory catalog. 

City directories often provide additional information about individuals such as place of 
employment and name of spouse. The entries are arranged alphabetically by last name and also 
by address and telephone number. City directories are compiled through door-to-door surveys 
and are published at irregular intervals. 

Researchers should be aware, however, that there are no current city directories for 
many major U.S. cities—among them Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, and Los 
Angeles. Therefore, some editions shelved on Deck 46 may be many years out-of-date. 


4 


U.S. REVERSE TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES 

Current U.S. reverse telephone directories are located on Deck 46, which is entered 
through Alcove 4 in the Main Reading Room. They are arranged alphabetically by state, 
shelved after the telephone and city directories for that state. 

A list of current reverse telephone directories is found in the card catalog, located near 
the directory collection on Deck 46. The labels on the catalog drawers are color coded for easy 
identification: green is for the reverse telephone directory catalog. 

Reverse telephone directories (often called street address or crisscross directories) are 
usually published annually for major metropolitan areas. Listings are based on telephone 
directories and are arranged both by address and telephone number. There is no listing by 
name. 


FOREIGN TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES 

Many current foreign telephone directories are located on Deck 46, which is entered 
through Alcove 4 in the Main Reading Room. They are arranged alphabetically by country, and 
are shelved following the United States directories. 

An incomplete list of current foreign telephone directories is found in the card catalog, 
located near the directory collection on Deck 46. The labels on the catalog drawers are color 
coded for easy identification: yellow is for the foreign telephone directory catalog. 

Some recent foreign directories are available in the appropriate area studies reading 


rooms. 


5 


FOREIGN CITY DIRECTORIES 

The Library has a few current foreign city directories. Unlike the directories described in 
previous sections, they are housed in the closed stacks and have call numbers. To determine 
whether the Library has a directory for a certain city, search in the Main Catalog and the 
Library of Congress Online Catalog using the following search strategy: NAME OF CITY 
AND SUBDIVISION DIRECTORIES. Then request the directory in the Main Reading Room 
or the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room by filling out a call slip as indicated on the 
sample below: 


PRESS FIRMLY 

PRESS FIRMLY 

STAFF USE ONLY 

Call Number 

Author 

Deck Att. No.- 

IX- S8! 


□ Not on Shelf 

.A 7.CTG5 

Title (Boo (^Periodical) i 

Oi/O 1WgrWcV_ 

<£T/fc/~P/ r&ctfarY 

□ Verify Call No. 

□ Clarify Call No. 

Periodical Vol. No. or Dale 

Legible Nyfie and Address, or User Card No. / 

f 

□ Give Vol. No./Date 

latest _ 

MAIN 

Name/User Card No. 

0 2- 2- 2- 2- 2— 

□ Folio, Pick Up: 

READING ROOM 

Address 

□ Latest Yr. on Shelf: 

Deck # 2 i Last name if Hold 

City/State/Zip 

□ No Vols on Shelf 

□ Other Location 

Tomorrows Date- 

STAFF USE ONI Y 

(See Message) 

Last Name: 

Message 

□ Missing in Inventory 



n»i<- 





One should be aware, however, that for many foreign city directories the latest edition 
may be many years out-of-date. 


























6 


Canadian City Directories 

Directories for most Canadian cities are treated differently from other foreign 
directories. Although they are housed in the closed stacks, they do NOT have call numbers and 
should be requested by filling out a call slip as indicated on the sample below: 


PRESS FIRMLY 


PRESS FIRMLY 


STAFF USE ONLY 


Call Number Author 

C itv 

UC. Q 

T)i r ectory Canada czmv directory D 

Jical Vol. No. or Date 7 Legible Name and Address, or User OSrd No. / Q 


Deck Alt. No.- 

□ Not on Shelf 


Latest; 

MAIN 

READING ROOM 


Name/User Card No. 


Q1LLL1 


Verify Call No. 
Clarify Call No. 
Give Vol. No./Date 
□ Folio, Pick Up: 


□ Latest Yr. on Shelf: 


Deck # Last name if Hold 



Tomorrow's Date: 
Last Name: 


City/State/Zip 


Message 


STAFF USE ONLY 


□ No Vols on Shelf 

□ Other Location 
(See Message) 

□ Missing in Inventory 


Date 


For specific information about the Library’s holdings of city directories for Canada, the 
United Kingdom, and Switzerland, consult the City Directory Finding Guide kept at the 
Reference Desk in the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room. 


U.S. AND FOREIGN TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES ON THE INTERNET 

An alternative to searching current telephone directories is provided by numerous online 
databases searchable over the Internet. For the U.S., try Switchboard.com ox Anywho.com. A 
site called Telephone Directories on the Web (teldir.com) provides links to many online foreign 
directories. 




























7 


Non-Current (Old) 

U.S. TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES ON MICROFICHE (PHONEFICHE) 

Anyone who is interested in U.S. telephone directories dating from 1976 through 1995 
should make use of Phonefiche, a ProQuest microfiche product housed in the Microform 
Reading Room (LJ 107). This self-service collection consists of yellow and white pages 
telephone directories for most U.S. cities and towns. For most years, there is a published guide 
to the collection titled Community Cross-Reference Index. These guides, shelved on top of the 
cabinets housing the microfiche, identify the directory in which a specific community’s listing 
can be found. 


U.S. TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES ON PAPER 

To examine non-current U.S. telephone directories (white and yellow pages) for years 
not included in the set of Phonefiche , one may request the paper copies in the Local History and 
Genealogy Reading Room by filling out a call slip as indicated on the sample below: 


PRESS FIRMLY 


PRESS FIRMLY 


STAFF USE ONLY 


Call Number 

Telephone. 
"D i recto rie<: 

Periodical Vol. No. or Dale 

MAIN 

READING ROOM 


Deck # or Last name if Hold 

~TGt 

□ OvemightRequest 


Tomorrow's Date: 
Last Name: 


Author 


Tide 


Legible Name and Address, or User Card No. 


Name/User Card No. 

033333 

Address 


City/Stale/Zip 


Period ical) , | | 

-Pittsburgh 


"PA 


Message 


STAFF USE ONLY 


Deck Att. No. - 

□ Not on Shelf 

□ Verify Call No. 

□ Clarify Call No. 

□ Give Vol. NoVDate 

□ Folio, Pick Up: 

□ Latest Yr. on Shelf: 

□ No Vols on Shelf 

□ Other Location 
(See Message) 

□ Missing in Inventory 

Date_ 


You should be aware, however, that pre-1976 directories for fourteen states, the District 
of Columbia, and Chicago have been microfilmed by the Library of Congress and can only be 
requested in the Microform Reading Room (LJ 107). Additional information about this 
microfilming project is contained in the following section. 


























8 


U.S. TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES ON MICROFILM 

A major project is underway to microfilm the Library of Congress’s collection of 
telephone directories from the pr e-Phonefiche period (before 1976). At present, directories for 
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District 
of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and the city of Chicago 
can be requested in the Microform Reading Room (LJ 107). A guide to the holdings for each 
locality is kept at the Reference Desks in the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room and 
the Main Reading Room. 

If you are interested in telephone directories for New York City and the surrounding area 
published from 1878-1959, you should consult a self-service microfilm collection in the 
Microform Reading Room. 


U.S. REVERSE TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES 

Non-current editions of U.S. reverse telephone directories (often titled street address or 
crisscross directories) are housed in the closed stacks. They can be requested in the Local 
History and Genealogy Reading Room by filling out a call slip as indicated on the sample below: 


PRESS FIRMLY 


PRESS FIRMLY 


Call Number 

Oriss cross or 
Street ^JtJiress 
^Directories 

Periodical Vol. No. or Date 

t?8s 

MAIN 

READING ROOM 


Deck # or Last name if Hold 



Maryland 

.Suburban 


Title (Book/Periodical) 


Legible Name and Address, or User Card No. 


Name/User Card No. 




City/Slate/Zip 


Tomorrow's Date: 
Last Name: 


Message 


STAFF USE ONLY 


STAFF USE ONLY 

Deck AU. No. - 

□ Not on Shelf 

□ Verify Call No. 

□ Clarify Call No. 

□ Give Vol. NoVDate 

□ Folio, Pick Up: 

□ Latest Yr. on Shelf: 

□ No Vols on Shelf 

□ Other Location 
(See Message) 

□ Missing in Inventory 

Date- 


Reverse telephone directories are usually published annually for major metropolitan areas. 
Listings are based on telephone directories and are arranged both by address and telephone 
number. There is no listing by name. An inventory of these directories can be found in a 
binder at the Reference Desk in the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room. 


























9 


U.S. CITY DIRECTORIES ON MICROFICHE 

All United States city and state directories up to and including 1860 are included in a 
self-service microfiche collection housed in the Microform Reading Room (LJ 107). Dorothea 
Spear’s American Directories Before I860 (Z5771.S7 LH&G and Z5771.2.S68 1978 MRR Ref 
Desk) is a guide to this collection. 

U.S. CITY DIRECTORIES ON MICROFILM 

A large self-service collection of U.S. city directories on microfilm is available in the 
Microform Reading Room (LJ 107). More than 1,200 U.S. cities and towns are represented in 
the collection, which continues to grow. The years of coverage are primarily 1861 through 
1960. For information on the cities included and the years available for those cities, consult the 
City Directory Finding Guide kept at the Reference Desk in the Local History and Genealogy 
Reading Room. 

U.S. CITY DIRECTORIES ON PAPER 

Many U.S. city directories in the Library of Congress are available only on paper. To 
identify which communities are represented and the years of coverage, consult the City 
Directory Finding Guide kept at the Reference Desk in the Local History and Genealogy 
Reading Room. The information in this guide comes primarily from James Neagles’ The 
Library of Congress: a Guide to Genealogical and Historical Resources (Salt Lake City, 
Ancestry, 1989. 381 p.). To request a city directory on paper, fill out a call slip as indicated on 
the sample below: 


PRESS FIRMLY 


PRESS FIRMLY 


STAFF USE ONLY 


Call Number 

<City 

“Directories 

Periodical Vol. No. or Date 

1 336 and 1940 

/ MAIN ^ 

READING ROOM 

Deck # or Last name if Hold 

Hunter _ 

□ Overnight Request 

Tomorrow's Date:- 

Last Name: 


Author 

..“Youmstown 

Legible Name and Address, or User Card No. 

Name/User Card No. 


City/State/Zip 


_STAFF USE ONLY 

Message 


Deck Alt. No.- 

□ Not on Shelf 

□ Verify Call No. 

□ Clarify Call No. 

□ Give Vol. No./Date 

□ Folio, Pick Up: 

□ Latest Yr. on Shelf: 

□ No Vols on Shelf 

□ Other Location 
(See Message) 

□ Missing in Inventory 

Date_ 



























10 


FOREIGN TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES 

Non-current editions of foreign telephone directories are shelved in the closed stacks. 
They can be requested in the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room or the Main Reading 
Room by filling out a call slip as indicated on the sample below: 


PRESS FIRMLY 


PRESS FIRMLY 


STAFF USE ONLY 


i.an iNumoer 

Foreign 
~TeJ e~ph on 

Periodical Vol. No. or Dale 

Closest to 
—1_97Q_ 


r MAIN 
READING ROOM 


Deck # gr Last name if Hold 

-gSnir th 

□ Overnight Request 


Tomorrow’s Date: 
Last Name: 


Liverpool 


Title (Book/Periodical) 


fZinqlairxcA 

d Address^ttfAJser Card No. 


Legible Name and 


Name/User Card No. 


0088 888 


City/State/Zip 


STAFF USE ONLY 


Message 


Deck Att. No.- 

□ Not on Shelf 

□ Verify Call No. 

□ Clarify Call No. 

□ Give Vol. No./Date 

□ Folio. Pick Up: 

□ Latest Yr. on Shelf: 

□ No Vols on Shelf 

□ Other Location 
(See Message) 

□ Missing in Inventory 

Dale_ 


FOREIGN TELEPHONE DIRECTORIES ON MICROFILM 

The collections of the Microform Reading Room (LJ 107) include significant holdings 
of telephone directories for several European countries. Listed below are the countries, 
microform call numbers, and the years included: 

France Microfilm 2000/54 1883-1959 

See Microform Guide 530 (in Reference Assistance Room, Main Reading Room) for further 
information. 

Poland (Krakow area only) Microfilm 95/2972 1930 


Yugoslavia (former) 


Microfilm (o) 99/6071 (D) 


1970-1990 


























11 


FOREIGN CITY DIRECTORIES ON PAPER 

The Library has significant holdings of non-current city directories for many foreign 
cities. With the exception of most Canadian city directories, they are housed in the closed 
stacks and have call numbers. To determine whether the Library has a directory for a certain 
city, search in the Main Catalog and the Library of Congress Online Catalog using the 
following search strategy: NAME OF CITY AND SUBDIVISION DIRECTORIES. Then 
request the directory in the Main Reading Room or the Local History and Genealogy Reading 
Room by filling out a call slip as indicated on the sample below: 


PRESS FIRMLY 


PRESS FIRMLY 


STAFF USE ONLY 


~£TDC[0\ 

.M74- M8 

Periodical Vol. No. or Date 

closest “bo 



READING ROOM 


Deck # 21 Last name if Hold 

7a 

□ Ovemigflt Request 

Tomorrow’s Date:- 

Last Name: 


Author 



Name/User Card No, _ _ 

OObbooo 

Address 


City/State/Zip 


_STAFF USE ONLY 

Message 


Deck Alt. No.- 

□ Not on Shelf 

□ Verify Call No. 

□ Clarify Call No. 

□ Give Vol. NoVDate 

□ Folio, Pick Up: 

□ Latest Yr. on Shelf: 

□ No Vols on Shelf 

□ Other Location 
(See Message) 

□ Missing in Inventory 

Date- 


Note: The procedures described above are not applicable for retrieving directories from 
Canada, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland. Directions follow on page 12. 

























12 


For specific information about the Library’s bound holdings of city directories for 
Canada, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, consult the City Directory Finding Guide kept 
at the Reference Desk in the Local History and Genealogy Reading Room. Please note that 
most Canadian city directories are treated differently from other foreign directories. Although 
they are housed in the closed stacks, they do NOT have call numbers and should be requested 
by filling out a call slip as indicated on the sample below: 


PRESS FIRMLY 


PRESS FIRMLY 


STAFF USE ONLY 


Call Number 

<Z\ty 

~D i rector les 

1 Periodical Vol. No. or Date 

OS<3S*fc to 

_ 

S MAIN 


Deck # qt Last name if Hold 

' "Brown 

□ Overnight Request 

Tomorrow’s Date:- 

Last Name: 


Author 



Name/User Card No. 


City/State/Zip 


_STAFF USE ONLY 

Message 


Deck All. No. - 

□ Not on Shelf 

□ Verify Call No. 

□ Clarify Call No. 

□ Give Vol. No./Date 

□ Folio, Pick Up: 

□ Latest Yr. on Shelf: 

Q No Vols on Shelf 

□ Other Location 
(See Message) 

□ Missing in Inventory 

Dale_ 


The Library of Congress has acquired a large collection on microfiche titled Pre-1900 
Canadian Directories (Microfiche 99/44). The collection can be requested in the Microform 
Reading Room (LJ 107). Microform Reading Room Guide No. 474, which describes the 
collection in detail, is available in the Reference Assistance Room of the Main Reading Room. 




























13 


FOREIGN CITY DIRECTORIES ON MICROFILM AND MICROFICHE 

The collections of the Microform Reading Room (LJ 107) include significant holdings 


of directories for several European localities, 
numbers, and the years included: 

Listed below are the localities, microform call 

Berlin 

Microfilm 32901 

1891, 1895-96, 1899, 1901, 1905-06, 1908, 
1911-14, 1922, 1926-1941. 

Berlin 

Microfiche 85/161 

1919-1932 

Leningrad 

(Petrograd/ 

St. Petersburg) 

Microfilm 04676 

1894-99, 1900-08, 1910-17, 1922-1934. 

Moscow 

Microfilm 30585 

1896-1907, 1912, 1923, 1927-29, 1936. 

All Russia 
(Major towns 
throughout 
Russia) 

Microfilm 24185 

1895,1899,1903, 1911-12, 1923. 


Unlike the collection of U.S. city directories on microform, these directories must be requested 
on 

Microform Reading Room call slips. 


Washington, D.C. 
June 2003 







































































LC ACQUISITIONS 


0 040 854 302 2 





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